Soft System Methodology Framework for Fair and Balanced of Risk and Value-Added Distribution in Sugarcane Agroindustry Supply Chains

Fair risk and value-added distribution within sugarcane agroindustry supply chain stakeholder is a complex and unstructured problem which had to be solved comprehensively. This research proposed a fair and balanced risk and value-added distribution model using Soft System Methodology (SSM) framework combined with negotiation system and Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) technique. SSM isapowerfulapproachto identify and solve a complex and unstructured problems then recommend effective solutions. Negotiation system was modelled to operate a fair and balanced risk and value-added distribution to achieve sugarcane supply chains goals. FCM was applied to validate the conceptual model and deliver system improvements. This research succeeded to describe and structure the sugarcane supply chains problems and deliver to conceptual and quantitative solution. Fair and balanced of risk and value-added distribution model with collaboration and negotiation mechanism hadbeenformulated at fourth stage of SSM. This research also proposed a negotiation system with quantitative intelligent model to operate the supply chains collaboration. Framework for system validation and recommendation hadbeenformulated through FCM at fifth and sixth stages of SSM. For further research, this framework required to be validated with more experienced expert then applied at real cases

Terrorism affected regions : the impact of different supply chain risk management strategies on financial performance

Purpose: Current geo-political events, such as terrorism and climatologic adversities, have highlighted the potential risks to supply chains (SCs), and their disastrous financial impacts on supply chains. Within supply chains, risk management plays a major role in successfully managing business processes in a proactive manner and ensuring the business continuity and financial performance (FP). The purpose of this study is to explore the supply chain risks and strategies in a terrorism-affected region (TAR), and to examine supply chain risk management (SCRM) strategies and their impacts on FP, including the war on terror (WoT) and its impacts on the local logistics industry. In addition, this study investigates the knowledge gaps in the published research on terrorism-related risk in supply chains, and develops a framework of strategies and effective decision-making to enable practitioners to address terrorism-related risks for SCRM.Methodology: The study initially adopts a novel combination of triangulated methods comprising a systematic literature review, text mining, and network analysis. Additionally, risk identification, risk analysis and strategies scrutiny are conducted by using semi-structured interviews and Qualitative Content Analysis in a TAR. A model of strategies was developed from a review of existing studies and interviews. The model is empirically tested with survey data of 80 firms using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA).Findings: This study reveals a number of key themes in the field of SCRM linked with terrorism. It identifies relevant mitigation strategies and practices for effective strategic decision-making. This subsequently leads to development of a strategic framework, consisting of strategies and effective-decision making practices to address terrorism-related risks that affect SCRM. It also identifies key the knowledge gaps in the literature and explores the main contributions by disciplines (e.g., business schools, engineering, and maritime institutions) and countries.Further, it identifies the SC risks in a TAR, which consist of value streams: disruption risks, operational risks and financial risks. Among these, the emerging risks emcompass terrorist groups’ demand for protection money, smog, paedophilia and the use of containers to block protesters. To mitigate these risks, firms frequently implemented the following strategies: information sharing, SC coordination, risk sharing, SC finance, SC security and facilitation payment. Five strategies out of the six (except facilitation payment) are able to lead to FP, confirmed quantitatively as well. There are various equifinal configurations of SCRM strategies leading to FP. In addition, information sharing acts as a moderator in the relationship between SC security and FP. SC coordination has a mediating role in the relationship between information sharing and SC security capabilities and FP.Research limitations/Contribution: The sample size a limitation of the study, meaning that the findings should be generalized with caution. The most valuable implications is the identification of configurations of strategies that can help managers and policymakers in implementing those findings.Originality/value: No empirical study was found in the SCRM literature that specifically investigates the relationships between the identified strategies and FP with fsQCA, in particular in a TAR context; this study thus fills an important gap in the SCRM literature and contributes empirically

Performance Evaluation of a Reverse Logistics Enterprise - An Agent-Based Modelling Approach

Reverse Logistics (RL) has been applied in many industries and sectors ever since its conception. Unlike Forward Logistics retracing consumer goods from the point of consumption to the point of inception is not a well-studied process. It involves many uncertainties such as time, quality and quantity of return. It is important to address these uncertainties to meet the economic, ecological and social challenges. The returned products can be remanufactured, can have parts harvested, or can be disposed safely. It is important to implement these activities in a cost-effective manner. The aim of this research is to measure the performance of the RL enterprise with the help of an Agent-based Modeling technique. The major entities in the RL network are considered as Agents that can act independently. There are several different agents: Collector Agent, Sorting-Cum-Reuse Agent, Remanufacturing Agent, Recycler Agent, Supplier Agent, and Distributor Agent. The individual performances of each agent are measured and recommendations are given to improve their performance, leading to the enhancement of the total performance of the RL enterprise. The solution approach is applied to a case study involving cell-phone remanufacturing

A Price-sensitive Quantity-flexible Supply Chain Contract Model As A Supply Chain Performance Driver

Tez (Doktora) -- İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, 2006Thesis (PhD) -- İstanbul Technical University, Institute of Science and Technology, 2006Tedarik zinciri bir ürünün tasarım aşamasından tüketicinin eline ulaşıncaya kadar geçireceği ve gerekli olan tüm aşamaları kapsar. Bu çalışmamızda tedarik zinciri sözleşmelerinin bir performans geliştiricisi olarak tedarik zinciri katma değerini en üst düzeye çıkartmada nasıl kullanılabileceği araştırılmış ve iki sözleşme modeli incelenmiştir. İlk sözleşme modeli olarak, ürüne olan talebin satış fiyatı ile bağlantılı olduğu bir ortamda, üreticinin satıcıya belli bir miktarda ürün alma garantisi karşılığı önerdiği indirimler ele alınmıştır. İkinci sözleşme modeli olarak ise, üreticinin toplam tedarik zinciri katma değerini arttırmak için satıcıya önerdiği satılamayan ürünü geri alma ve satın almada miktar esnekliği sağlama sözleşmeleri incelenmiştir. Birinci modelde, görüleceği üzere, her ne kadar talep satış fiyatı ile bağlantılı ise de, sonuç yalnız satıcı açısından değerlendirildiğinden, modelin tedarik zinciri toplam katma değeri üzerindeki etkisi belirsizdir. Diğer yandan, ikinci model tedarik zincirinin toplam katma değerini arttırdığı halde, talebin fiyat duyarlılığı göz önüne alınmamıştır. Çalışmamızda geliştirdiğimiz ve bilgisayar programları kullanarak (Appendix B) çalıştırdığımız modelin özgün yanı, yukarıdaki iki modelin zayıf noktalarına cevap vermesi ve talebin fiyata duyarlı olduğu bir ortamda üretici-satıcı arasında miktar esnekliği sağlayan bir sözleşmenin tedarik zinciri katma değerini en üst düzeye çıkarmasıdır. Çalışmamızda ayrıca sözleşmeden kaynaklanan bu ek katma değer artışının her iki tarafın da kazanması için nasıl paylaştırılabileceğini öneren iki yöntem geliştirilmiştir.A supply chain consists of all stages involved, directly or indirectly, in fulfilling a customer request. In this dissertation, we introduced supply chain contracts as a new driver to maximize supply chain profitability. We presented two supply chain contract models. First, where a retailer facing price sensitive demand may obtain a discount by committing a fixed quantity over a finite horizon, and second where a manufacturer offering buyback or quantity flexibility contracts may increase the total supply chain profit. We concluded that the first model incorporates demand as a function of the selling price but does not address the crucial issue of total supply chain surplus maximization. On the other hand, the second model, although it increases the total supply chain surplus, does not incorporate the demand elasticity. We then developed a model to address the individual weaknesses of the models discussed by incorporating the price sensitive demand into quantity flexibility contracts by determining the optimal level of product availability, as a function of the selling price, which maximizes the total supply chain profit. We also proposed two solutions to the issue of profit sharing related to the distribution of the additional supply chain profit generated by using the contracts. Furthermore, through numerical experiments using computer programs (Appendix B), we showed that our model maximizes total supply chain surplus by incorporating demand elasticity and profit sharing into quantity flexibility contracts.DoktoraPh

VMI-type Supply Chains: a Brief Review

The primary purpose of this paper is to highlight for the research community and practitioners the various aspects of using VMI-type supply chains in today’s business environment as well as a number of directions for future studies. In this regard, fifty articles published in major international journals, beginning in 1995, which contribute to the VMI-type supply chains are reviewed via a systematic review methodology. Our findings show there is an incremental growth in employing of VMI strategies in logistic and supply chains. This paper characterizes the design aspects required to configure and establish a VMI-type supply chain in the industry including demand pattern, number of products, contract type between two parties, and profit sharing scheme. Moreover, the current gaps on the current state of VMI-type supply chain in literature are highlighted in last section of this paper that may motivate future studies

An overview of fuzzy techniques in supply chain management: bibliometrics, methodologies, applications and future directions

Every practice in supply chain management (SCM) requires decision making. However, due to the complexity of evaluated objects and the cognitive limitations of individuals, the decision information given by experts is often fuzzy, which may make it difficult to make decisions. In this regard, many scholars applied fuzzy techniques to solve decision making problems in SCM. Although there were review papers about either fuzzy methods or SCM, most of them did not use bibliometrics methods or did not consider fuzzy sets theory-based techniques comprehensively in SCM. In this paper, for the purpose of analyzing the advances of fuzzy techniques in SCM, we review 301 relevant papers from 1998 to 2020. By the analyses in terms of bibliometrics, methodologies and applications, publication trends, popular methods such as fuzzy MCDM methods, and hot applications such as supplier selection, are found. Finally, we propose future directions regarding fuzzy techniques in SCM. It is hoped that this paper would be helpful for scholars and practitioners in the field of fuzzy decision making and SCM

Multi-dimensional Circular Supply Chain Management: A Comparative Review of the State-of-the-art Practices and Research

The circular economy (CE) concept has gained wide attention in practice as well as in academia in recent years. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art practices and research in “circular supply chain management” (CSCM), i.e., the integration of CE thinking into supply chain management (SCM) with the goal of achieving “zero wastes”. The review covers 68 real-life CE implementation cases collected by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and 124 publications in well-established, high-ranking academic journals in operations and supply chain management. The comparative review shows that CSCM encompasses multiple dimensions, including closed-loop SCM, reverse SCM, remanufacturing SCM, recycling SCM, and industrial symbiosis. A multi-dimensional CSCM (MD-CSCM) framework is developed to synthesize their interrelationships and to categorize academic publications into multiple research themes. Based on the identified research-practice gaps and pressing research needs, this study discusses important directions for future studies to advance supply chain circularity

Inventory Models for Manufacturing Process with Reverse Supply Chain

Technology innovation leading to development of new products and enhancement of features in existing products is happening at a faster pace than ever. This trend has resulted in gross increase in use of new materials and decreased customers‘ interest in relatively older products leading to the deteriorating conditions of the environment due to the reduction of non-renewable resources and steady increase in the land fill of waste. This has forced organizations and communities to consider recovery alternatives such as reuse, repair, recycle, refurbish, remanufacture and cannibalize, rather than discarding of the products after end of life. Products are retuned back or become redundant because either they do not function properly or functionally they become obsolete. The sources of these returns are Manufacturing returns, Distribution returns and Customer returns. The product recovery options in reverse supply are Repair, Refurbish, Re-manufacture, Cannibalize and Recycle. The main difference between the options is in the reprocessing techniques. Where Repair, refurbishing, and remanufacturing are involved in the up gradation of the used products in quality and/or technology with a difference with respect to the degree of up gradation(repair involves the least, and remanufacturing the largest),the cannibalization and recycling are involved in using parts ,components and materials of the used products. Although much is being disused on the different recovery options still a lot of research remains to be done for improvement of the currently available techniques. In this context the present work focuses on remanufacturing option of recovery process for return items which is the most advanced and environmentally friendly production processes in use. Therefore the broad objectives of the present work are to deal with the different models of remanufacturing either new or existing for adding new features to it and making it simple and more user oriented, to develop deterministic models using direct manufacturing and remanufacturing for profit optimization, to develop and deal with probabilistic models of inventory with demand fluctuation using direct manufacturing and remanufacturing.to select and recommend a tool for predicting various critical parameters associated with the Reverse supply chain (RSC).to make these models usable to achieve maximum advantages by reutilization of resources integrating the upstream and downstream chains. For the effective implementation of remanufacturing in Reverse supply chain, the entire work has been arranged in different chapters to present the distinct aspects of the research. Models are developed with special reference to remanufacturing. These models proposed helped in minimizing the gaps existing in the RSC in the v present scenario. The different models proposed for RSC are discussed on the basis of deterministic and probabilistic approaches. Although a lot of assumptions are intentionally made to make the models deterministic, still these models have its own identity in satisfying the needs of RSC. Two models are being discussed under deterministic approach. These models tries to find out the amount of new product supply to the market, the amount of remanufactured products supply to the market, the amount of products returned from the market and the amount of waste. Pertinent data from industry have been considered to prepare the models. The model variables are tested with adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), where the testing of the actual out come and desired outcome is done by using ANFIS. One of the proposed models is picked up to predict the critical parameters associated with RSC using remanufacturing. Although the models dealing with the deterministic RSC models are simple still it becomes difficult to deal with a situation where there is a fluctuation of demand in the market, which is a common phenomenon. Therefore, it becomes inevitable to use the probabilistic approach for sorting out it. The aim is to deal with probabilistic models of inventory and models are proposed where the uncertainty due to fluctuation of demand and uncertainty in the return rate of used products is taken care of by using the safety stock. The determination of the safety stock is done on the basis of service level approach. The model variables are optimized using mathematical models considering the profit maximization. The contribution of the present work is directed towards the environmental benefits. The manufacture of durable goods is one of the major contributors to the GNP of all developed countries. It employs large amounts of human resources, raw materials and energy. The raw materials and energy in the production of durable goods have been continually depleted. Many durable products are disposed in landfills at the end of their useful lives as well. The landfill space has been decreasing and the price charged by the landfills is increasing at a faster rate. This becomes an environmental concern. Remanufacturing, as discussed earlier is one of the predominant product recovery option for the return products. With respect to quality it is considered to be as good as new ones but with a lower cost of conversion. Therefore, focusing on remanufacturing option of product recovery not only decreases the depletion rate of virgin raw materials and rate of land fill but also contributes much towards the GDP as well as GNP. The models proposed in this work are simple and can be practically implemented to get benefits from the return items and still satisfying the market demand for sustainable production

Application of Optimization in Production, Logistics, Inventory, Supply Chain Management and Block Chain

The evolution of industrial development since the 18th century is now experiencing the fourth industrial revolution. The effect of the development has propagated into almost every sector of the industry. From inventory to the circular economy, the effectiveness of technology has been fruitful for industry. The recent trends in research, with new ideas and methodologies, are included in this book. Several new ideas and business strategies are developed in the area of the supply chain management, logistics, optimization, and forecasting for the improvement of the economy of the society and the environment. The proposed technologies and ideas are either novel or help modify several other new ideas. Different real life problems with different dimensions are discussed in the book so that readers may connect with the recent issues in society and industry. The collection of the articles provides a glimpse into the new research trends in technology, business, and the environment